Sky Sports announces 2017 summer cricket schedule

Sky Sports will broadcast more hours of cricket than ever before during the summer of 2017 after confirming its bumper schedule of live international and county matches.

With exclusively live coverage of all English cricket from April through to late September, Sky Sports customers will be able to enjoy an extensive schedule of international cricket as England take on South Africa, West Indies and, for the first time ever on home soil, Ireland.

In another first, Sky Sports will broadcast the first day/night Test match to be played in England as part of the West Indies Test series in August.

As well as England’s matches, Sky will broadcast exclusive coverage of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy taking place in England and Wales in June.

The tournament will feature the eight-best cricketing nations from around the world, with the final taking place at The Oval on Sunday, June 18.

Fans can also look forward to extensive coverage of the county cricket season on Sky Sports in 2017, featuring the NatWest T20 Blast, Royal London One-Day Cup and the Specsavers County Championship, where Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Middlesex will all be looking to add to their trophy cabinets.

In addition to the schedule of men’s cricket, viewers will also be able to follow the women’s international and domestic competitions.

The England women’s team will be in action in the ICC Women’s World Cup on home soil in June and July, with selected matches broadcast live, including the final at Lord’s on July 23.

In addition, Sky Sports will show live domestic women’s cricket for the first time in 2017 with matches from the Kia Super League, where the Southern Vipers are hoping to defend the title they won last year.

Commenting on the channel’s 2017 cricket output, Bryan Henderson, Sky Sports Head of Cricket, said: “There is so much to look forward to this year, with more hours of cricket than ever before on Sky Sports.

“England will want to return to the top of the Test rankings under new captain Joe Root, the Champions Trophy is up for grabs on home soil, and England’s women have the World Cup to play for.

“It is going to be a long, fascinating summer on Sky Sports.”

A busy cricket schedule forms part of a bumper summer of sport on Sky Sports, which includes exclusively live coverage of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, golf’s Majors including The Open, US Open and Women’s British Open, Formula 1 and much more.